Shellie Baxter: CEO & Founder

Shellie Baxter started Our Genetic Legacy (OGL) in 2018 in response to her frustration with the lack of recognition and the disenfranchisement of BIPOC Americans in American history. OGL creates projects that expose and publish lost family legacies of BIPOC Americans in order to diversify, correct and expand the current history of the United States to include all Americans. Ms. Baxter's own family legacy story, knowing the struggles her ancestors overcame for her to even exist, ignites her passion to help others find their legacy.

Under the umbrella of OGL, Shelli has world tirelessly to produce “We The People: Teaching U.S. History Through the Ancestral Stories of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.” This textbook is a 100% BIPOC-authored and edited U.S. history book written by the BIPOC pioneers of the U.S. It will be the first U.S. history book that uses DNA to integrate the stories of everyday BIPOC into the official storyline of the United States of America. Additionally, in 2023, she will be launching We The People (a virtual museum), where they will be introducing a design contest for a $10,000 prize. Additional details can be found here. 

Exhibitions of historical sites significant in BIPOC California history will be produced by the DRONe Project, Descendants Recovering Our Names, a paid workforce development program. The program was created for young women ages 16 to 18 living in San Diego, Calif. who want to become drone pilots and work as digital historic preservationists skilled in the use of LiDAR-enabled drones. LiDAR uses lasers and light to create visual images of the earth's surface that are invisible to the naked eye. Participants will use the same technology that was used by National Geographic to recover lost Mayan civilizations in Guatemala.

Additional information can be found here. They are currently accepting applications for 20 spots. Applications must be confirmed through an online interview process and the application period will remain open until the confirmed capacity is reached.

Lastly, Shellie runs The History Makers' Workshop, and will begin conducting workshops with 8th- and 11th-grade students beginning late June 2022 at Hoover High School in partnership with First Gen Scholars. Shellie is mother to two hard working women and has spent most of her life as a stay-at-home mother to the girls. This is her story.